Reflecting on Rage
by Satiah
Summary: Sasuke could never overcome his brother; there simply wasn't enough anger to drive him on. But an endlessly burning rage was exactly what made Itachi excel at what he did. Pre-timeskip.


Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

...

It had been a long, long time ago…the last time he had been home. Ages had passed, really. He hardly remembered the place anymore. If he thought hard about it then, yes, he could vaguely see the shadows of his past life. The faceless people wandering around his village, doing their mindless chores: so predictable in their scurryings. They were all wrapped up in their tiny little worlds, unaware of the bigger picture. They all thought the world revolved around them. It was _their_ business that was important; _their_ problems that needed fixing; _their_ this, _their_ that…it sickened him. _They_ had no idea what the world was about. But that was why he was still here and they were most decidedly not.

It had all been too easy. For a village full of ninja—and the so-called _elite _Uchiha at that—no one had stood in his way. None had been able to slow his murderous rampage, none proved strong enough to challenge his overwhelming power. The weak were demolished and utterly destroyed.

One by pathetic one.

He had cut them down because they were weak. His unmatched feat of a one-man slaughter of an entire village (in one night, no less) only served to further prove his point. There had been nothing of worth in that village, save his pitiful younger brother. And now the village itself was worthless, deserted of any inhabitants.

His brother lived on, hell-bent on destroying himself as thoroughly as his brother had destroyed their village. And for what? Vengeance? Could he actually be strong enough to one day vanquish the elder brother he so thoroughly despised? Would Sasuke ever be strong enough to eliminate the last of the Uchiha clan with his own hands? To spill even more of that precious Uchiha blood?

Itachi hoped so. Then, maybe, his brother would actually amount to something. Something greater than the unconquerable Itachi himself. Now that would be most interesting…

But, Sasuke still had a ways to go. He was still lacking the blinding hatred that had once possessed Itachi. That all-consuming rage which left you entirely without conscious thought, without reason. You were at the mercy of your anger in its fullest force, and you instinctively succumbed to its will. You drowned in the depths of such fury: the world washed in red, washed out red, and when you crawled out of the rage's enveloping embrace, the beach was swept clean. The objects of your hatred were no longer in existence. They were obliterated. Completely.

Sasuke had no chance of eliminating Itachi unless he ceased thinking and submerged himself in a storm of his own. Time and time again, Sasuke had blindingly charged at Itachi, hoping to take him down. Unfortunately, while Sasuke mistakenly thought he had the rage build-up to kill Itachi, he forgot to take one key thing into consideration: Even with all the anger in the world—and Sasuke's temper-tantrums were still insignificant compared to the roaring, unstoppable fire he would eventually need to accumulate—he still forgot to take skill into consideration. Itachi could do what Itachi had done because he was an expert in the art of killing. He was more skilled than the people he had eliminated. Simple as that.

Sasuke, however, forgot that he was still a mere child in his elder brother's eyes. Sasuke had a childish anger that flared briefly and then quieted. It didn't unendingly burn in his heart like it should. Sasuke's so-called 'hatred' built itself up only when he thought of either Itachi or the death of his beloved parents. It was a spontaneous thing.

Laughable, really. Sasuke would never be able to harbor the same burning malice within his heart. He was too soft; he was too young to really understand what the world was about. It wasn't about love, or trust, or friendship, or _bonds_. No, the world was all about power. And the ultimate power came from the elimination of any and all opposition. Those who killed conquered. That was the way in which the ninja world worked. That was why ninja assassins existed. Not because the world was a safe, happy place, but because it was wicked and cruel and merciless.

Just like Itachi. That was how one survived here, in this land. Friends were only going to get in the way unless they served as stepping stones to power. Even Shisui proved to be useful in the end. Without the Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi may just as well be as weak as his sniveling brother…or anyone else in his former clan, for that matter.

Yes, Itachi still felt the pangs of remorse when he thought of Shisui. But dwelling on friendship only got in the way. Dwelling caused hesitation, and hesitation led to weaknesses and openings that could be exploited. Sasuke still didn't understand that, either.

Even Kisame would eventually have to be killed off. One day he would cease to be useful to Itachi. However, Itachi thought that his teammate would go and get himself killed well before that happened. That Kyuubi-brat would most likely be the one to take him out. Naruto seemed to be everywhere these days…

Not that it mattered much. The Kyuubi would belong to Akatsuki soon enough, so there was no need to rush things. Naruto would stupidly charge headlong into a trap as soon as one of his 'friends' were threatened. However, if worst came to worst and the boy smartened up, then Kisame could always break a few limbs and forcefully drag the Kyuubi child to Akatsuki's next lair.

However, having Naruto come to them would defeat the purpose of Itachi's current presence. He and his partner had come to fetch the boy, as ordered; however, a little detour into a ruined and lifeless village never hurt anything. Why he wanted to waste his time in such a ruined dump, he didn't know. Perhaps he had been looking for answers about the beginning…or the end…it really didn't matter much, one way or the other.

Sighing, Itachi figured it was about time to resume their little game of chase for the last Bijuu—their silent hunt for a most obnoxious quarry. With a deliberate motion in his partner's general direction, Itachi put on his hat, moved forward, and never turned to look back.


End file.
